


A Second Chance

by Blue090899



Category: Shazam! (2019)
Genre: AU, Gen, Little Kid Billy, Little kid Wally, deaging
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-14 05:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19266379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue090899/pseuds/Blue090899
Summary: Billy lost his Mom when he was Four what if he got the chance to reverse that fateful day at the carnival? Billy gets a second chance with his Mom, will it be like he imagined, or will it become a nightmare?AU and Deaging





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time uploading to AOOO, and I hope to receive plenty of feedback from you guys, so please comment and let me know how you feel. If you hate it tell me. If you love it tell me and if you have critiques for my writing style PLEASE let me know! See you next time and enjoy the prologue

"So, you want to tell me what's up?"

 

I turned to Freddie, who was walking alongside me.

 

"What you mean?"

Freddie rolled his eyes before continuing "Cmon Billy, you've been acting weird ever since the fight with Sivana."

 

"No, I haven't," I quickly replied.

 

"Uh, yes, you have. And because I'm your foster brother, I have to ask why."

 

I rolled my eyes at Freddie's comment and began to pick up the pace.

 

"If you don't tell me I'm going to tell Darla you want to have a weekend tea party with her."

I turned on my heel narrowing my eyes at him. "You wouldn't?"

 

Freddie smirked, "Try me."

I rolled my eyes and took a few steps closer to Freddie, " Fine, but can we talk back at the house."

 

"Sure."

 

 

The walk the rest of the way home was shorter then I hoped. Soon I found myself face to face with Freddie as he began the interrogation.

"Well?" Freddie chirped.

 

I took a deep breath and a seat. "You remember the day we fought Sivana?"

 

"Yeah, how could I forget it?"

 

"Do you remember what happened before the fight at the carnival?"

 

I saw Freddie facial expressions change from confusion to shock. "Oh, yeah. You found your Mom. How did that go?"

"Awful," I said.

"Why, what happened?"

"Well, I found her, but that's not what she wanted," I said, standing up and turning my back to him.

 

I didn't hear Freddie say anything, so I continued, "She thought she couldn't take care of me, so she left me and gave up on me." My blood was beginning to boil just thinking about her. "I mean, how could she! I'm her son! Her blood!"

 

I punched the wall, nearly creating a hole before turning back to Freddie. He was speechless unsure of what to say.

 

I sat down on the bed, breaking down into tears. Freddie sat down and put his arm around me. "It's okay, and you want to know why?"

I looked up at him, wiping the tears from my eyes.

 

"Because you have us, and we're your family, not some quitter who shares your blood."

 

I smiled at that and could feel the anger dissipating. "Thanks, Freddie."

"No problem what are foster brothers for," He said chuckling.

 

I laughed at his corny humor. " You know what's funny, though? If I could get a chance to hit a reset button and repeat my life with her in it, I would."

Freddie paused before answering, "Really, you would?"

"Yeah, I would. If I could erase all the running away and sleep on the streets, I would."

"But you can't and if you did you wouldn't have met me!" Freddie explained enthusatically.

"Yeah true," I said laughing. Freddie gave me a sly smile before wrapping me in a hug. I returned the favor.

 

 

The rest of the night was uneventful, and Freddie didn't ask Darla if she wanted to have a tea party.  _Thankfully_. After Dinner, I went to the bathroom, changed into sleepwear, and began to brush my teeth. I was about to spit into the sink when a knock came from the door. "Almost done." 

"Billy, it's Mary, can I come in. I want to talk to you?" 

I sighed before unlocking the door. Mary walked in and grabbed some acne pads. "So how are you?"

  
"Fine, why do you ask?" I asked, spitting into the sink.

"Because I heard you and Freddie talking earlier, and I heard a loud noise and um..."

"What?" I asked.

Mary leaned in a whispered in my ear, "I heard Crying."

I scowled at that before rinsing my mouth.

"Yeah, I'm fine, and that noise was me punching the wall."

 "And why would you do that?" Mary asked, concerned. 

I rinsed my mouth before answering, "My Mom."

"Oh... How is she?" Mary asked, surprised at the topic.

"Fine, I'm better off anyway," I said quickly and harshly.

"What do you mean? Wasn't she happy to see you?" Mary asked, concerned.

"No, she wasn't," I said solemnly.

 

Mary dropped her acne pads and rushed me with a hug, "Oh, Billy, I'm so sorry. I knew we shouldn't have given you those papers."

"No, I'm happy you did because now I know where my real family is," I said, looking up and smiling.

"Oh, Billy," Mary said, hugging me harder on the verge of tears. 

"Oww... Oww. You're crushing me!" I pleaded.

Mary finally released, "Sorry."

"No problem; just don't turn into Darla." I joked.

"Yes, sir," Mary said, sarcastically giving me a salute.

"Thanks, Mary. I'm going to get some sleep." I said before, yawning. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Billy," Mary said, kissing me on the head. 

 

In my room, Freddie was already in bed reading a Batman comic book. I said goodnight before climbing in my bed.

"Goodnight," Freddie said, not taking his eyes off the book. I chuckled and shook my head before rolling over and going to sleep.

 

 

***Shazam***

 

 

  _The following morning_

 

 

When I woke up, everything seemed weird. First, the room looked larger, then it should have been, and I felt I was on the ground instead of my top bunk. I heard an alarm going off, so I turned to my left to see the said alarm. When I reached to snooze the alarm, my hands were much smaller and almost child-like. I lifted the covers off and found my body was the same as my hands. My legs were short, and my feet were tiny, I wore pajamas that belonged to a child. They were those footed pajamas that little kids wore and this pair was red with blue rocketship decorated all over.

 

I tried not to panic, but I was starting to think something was seriously wrong.

 

I needed to see if my fears were my reality, so I jumped out of bed and ran to a mirror on the other side of the room. I didn't like what I saw.

 

Staring back at me was a boy no older than four. My brown hair was a prime example of bedhead as it stuck up all over the place.

I could feel panic beginning to surface. How did this happen? Where was I? And why am I a little kid again?

"Okay, this is a dream. Right?" I thought.

 

I closed my eyes and pinched myself. "When I open my eyes, I'll be back in my room with Freddie."

But when I opened my eyes, the person I hated the most was staring at me — my Mom.


	2. Weird Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy wakes up in his Mom's apartment and tries to figure out what has happened to him and his Mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for the Kudos and support you showed on part one. I hope to see even more support on this one. Again, any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

"Billy, Honey, what's wrong?" My Mom asked.

 

I was speechless as I tried to wrap my head around what was happening. I'm a little kid again, and my Mom thinks I'm her son. Now I know I'm her son but after everything that has happened, shouldn't she want to call the police and tell them a strange child was in her house.

She picked me up and sat on the bed with me in her lap. She put her hand up to my forehead. "You don't have a fever."

I couldn't keep my eyes off her still trying to understand what the hell was going on.

 

She began to rub her hand up and down my back. This felt comforting and soothing. "Sweetheart, please talk to me."

"I'm fine," I squeaked. I put my hands up to my mouth, surprised at how high pitched my voice was.

She laughed when I did this, "Are you scared of your voice?"

"No," I retorted, throwing her a glare. She smirked and placed a kiss on my forehead, "Uh, huh."  
I blushed when she did this and couldn't help but smile.

"Are you sure you're okay?"  
I nodded. I was okay, and I felt good plus I'm sure I wasn't hurt or anything. I just needed to know how I got here in my Mom's apartment and how I'm now a little kid.  
"Alright, I believe you." She said. She didn't believe me, I could tell. But she decided to let it go anyway.

  
She let me down and headed towards a wooden dresser in the corner. "So what do you want to wear today?" She asked as she began to go through the top drawer.  
I didn't know what to wear, nor did I care. I was still trying to wrap my head around what was happening. Here I was in my Mom's apartment in what I assumed was my room as a little kid, and she was acting as if the last ten years never happened.

  
I was so deep in thought my Mom had to come and shake me to get my attention. "Hello, paging Billy Batson, you awake?" She joked.  
"Sorry, Mom," I apologized blushing slightly.  
"It's okay sweetie." She said softly, "Now how about we dress you in this?" She held up a red sweatshirt, a grey shirt and a pair of jeans. It looked just like the outfit I always wore except smaller. I thought it might be a bad joke that she wanted me to wear the outfit I got lost in all those years ago, but that's just my messed up foster kid brain talking. Right?

 

 She had me stand up in front of the bed as she got on one knee and began to unzip my sleeper. I pushed her hands away. I was not about to be naked in front of my Mom, no matter how old I was.

She looked annoyed, but regardless, she moved her hands back to the zipper on the sleeper, and I stopped her again. "Billy," She said calmly. "This isn't funny. You know how Mommy feels when you play with Mommy when it isn't playtime."

 

"Um, no, I don't." I thought.  I knew she couldn't undress me; I would feel too much like a child. "Can I do it?" I abruptly asked. 

"Oh." She calmly said before standing up. "Do you want to do it by yourself?"

  
"Yeah," I said flatly.  
 "Okay, I'll let you try and be a big boy, but I don't know if you can handle being big all by yourself," She commented.

 

 I rolled my eyes at this comment, how could kids deal with people talking to them like this?

 

I began to unzip the sleeper when I noticed she was still standing in the room watching me like a hawk. "Go ahead, sweetheart," She responded cheerfully. I mentally groaned. It's bad enough I'm dressed like a baby, but now have to ask my Mom to let me dress myself and for her to leave the room.

 

 "Mom..." I stuttered. "I want privacy."

 

She looked hurt but gave a warm smile before agreeing to wait outside the door. She told me to call if I needed help.

 

I began to pull the zipper down and step out of the juvenile garment. I saw the Batman underoos I had on, and I felt the embarrassment flow through my body and up to my face. Thankfully Freddie can't see me because if he did I would have to die of embarrassment.  
Once I was out of the sleeper, I began to put my new clothes on. I first grabbed the jeans and slipped them on, I had some trouble getting my legs in, and I almost tripped and fell on my face, but I managed nonetheless. Next, I pulled over the grey shirt with ease, and finally, I pulled on the red hoodie making sure to zip it up about half-way. When I was done, I walked back over to the mirror and took a look at myself. I looked just like fourteen-year-old me except I was shorter and a lot younger, but a red hoodie is a good look at any age.

  
As I looked in the mirror, I noticed I didn't have any socks on so I decided to look in the dresser and see if I could find some. There were four drawers, two of which I could reach and two I couldn't I just hoped the socks were where I could reach them.

  
I opened the bottom drawer and found all kinds of little boy underwear. Some had Batman on them, and others had Superman and others were decorated with random cartoon characters that I didn't recognize. I hoped I had some other underwear because wearing these would be extremely embarrassing if anyone saw me in them.

Suddenly I heard a knock on the door, "Billy, you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I yelled back. 

I moved on to the next drawer and found the socks a lot of them were bright colors, but I found one simple black pair so I threw them on. 

 

I quickly headed to the door and opened it seeing my Mom standing there with her back turned to me, "All done."

"Good Job, Billy, I'm so proud of you. Your turning into such a big boy!" She praised. I felt embarrassed at her comment, but I also felt pride. Putting clothes on was easy, but her congratulating me still felt satisfying.

 

She picked me up and kissed me on the cheek before putting me back down. She headed down the hall, so I followed. As we went down the hall, I saw some picture frames along the wall, and they were of me. Not me as a fourteen-year-old, but as I was now. Some pictures showed me when I was even younger. In the images my Mom and I looked happy, the way she was smiling, it reminded me how I thought of her for so long before I learned the truth.

 

When we got to the kitchen, she lifted me onto the counter and pulled out a bowl. "Alright, we need to have a quick breakfast. So how about some cereal?"

"Why does it have to be quick?" I questioned.

 

"The carnival, of course. You've been talking about it all week," She said as she pulled a bowl out of the cabinet.

_Wait, the carnival?_ We can't go to the carnival not after what happened the first time.

 

"How about some Reese's Puffs?" She asked, pulling the cereal out of the cabinet. I didn't answer at first still in shock that we were going to the carnival. 

She noticed my gaping expression, so she came back over to me and placed her hands on my knees, "Billy, what's wrong?"

"Uhh, " I said, unable to form words. Her expression was full of concern, which soon switched to expressionless as if she was thinking.  
"Wait, is this about the carnival?" She asked with the lightbulb going off in her head. _How did she know,_ I thought.

 I slowly nodded.

"Billy don't worry, Mommy isn't going anywhere," She said softly. "You'll never be alone ever again." She gave me a big hug and a kiss on the head. I instantly felt the warmth go through me and thought this is what I've always dreamed about. I felt some tears begin to swell up in my eyes, but I forced them down, not wanting to cry in front of her or look like a little emotional baby. Once letting go, she gave me a warm smile "All better now?"  
I quickly nodded and smiled at her, hoping this time would be different.

  
She made me a bowl of cereal and placed it down in front of me.  While I ate the cereal, she went back to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee then came back and sat down. She didn't say much. Instead, she scrolled through her phone, looking up every few seconds, giving me a warm smile.

  
I should feel happy that I'm getting what I always wanted, but after what happened when we finally found each other, it made me want to go and find Freddie. But maybe she's different, or perhaps this is an alternate timeline like Freddie talked about in that one Flash comic he loves.

 

When I finished, she took my bowl to the sink and came back, "Okay, let's get your teeth brushed, and then we can get ready to leave."

We went back down the hall and went inside a door on the right. She grabbed a red stepstool and placed it in front of the sink before lifting me onto it. Next, she grabbed a toothbrush and put a dab of toothpaste on the brush before handing it to me. I wasn't sure if she would let me do it by myself, so I looked up for a sign of approval.

  
"Go ahead, I'm right here," She said with a warm smile and a soft hand on my back. The hand on my back felt very soothing and comforting, allowing me to know she was right there. 

 

 Afterward, we put our coats on. She helped me put on my tan jacket along with a pair of black gloves and a black beanie. I found it weird that she had all the clothes that I wore as fourteen-year-old me because it was if she knew exactly how I dressed without ever knowing me. It creeped me out a bit, but considering how weird this morning has been, I shouldn't be spooked.

"There you go all bundled up and ready to have some fun," She said, bopping me on the nose. "And what do we say?"

 

"Uh... thank you?"

 

"Your welcome," she said.

 

We left the apartment and headed for the elevator. I got a look at the hallway and our room number. This was the same apartment building that I found my Mom in a few weeks ago, which meant we were still in Philadelphia. The building looked nicer but still looked cheap.  
When we got to the elevator, the elevator doors were opening, so we headed inside where another Mother and Son were waiting.  
The Mom had darkened skin and chocolate brown hair that came down to her shoulders. The son had similar features except for the dozens of freckles that littered his face.

"Are you going down?" The Mom asked.

"Yep," My Mom answered.

  
The other woman asked her son to push the button to go to the ground floor as that's where we all needed to go.  
 As the elevator started to go down, the boy turned to me, "Hi, I'm Wally. What's your name?"

I ignored him not interested in talking. I felt someone touch my shoulder, so I looked up. My Mom poked me on the shoulder and looked disappointed at me. "Billy, don't be rude. Introduce yourself."

"Do I have to? I pleaded. I'm not a rude person at heart, but I have more important things on my mind than a friend, and I wasn't much of a talker, to begin with.

"Yes," She insisted. I rolled my eyes before turning to the boy.

 

"Hi, I'm Billy."

 

"Nice to meet you, Billy."

 

"You too," I said grudgingly.

 

The doors opened, helping me escape from Wally. But unfortunately, he and his Mom happened to be going in the same direction as us.

"So do you have any friends?" Wally asked.

 

"Um, no." I didn't want to lie, but truthfully I'm not even sure if Freddie or the others also knew me if this was an alternate timeline.

 

"Me neither. My Mom and I just moved here." He said before his expression lit up with an idea. "Why don't we be friends?"

 

I wasn't sure how to react. Wally seemed nice and full of energy, just like Freddie, but then again, I had more important things to worry about.  Before I could answer, my Mom stepped in. "Billy would love that. Why don't you come over tomorrow?"

 

"Okay, sounds like fun," Wally said, smiling before him, and his Mom walked away.

 

"Momm! Why'ed, you do that?" I whined as we got to her car.

 

"Because I think you'll like this boy, and you need a friend." She insisted.

 

"No, I don't!" I crossed my arms and stuck my bottom lip out.

 

She got down on her knees, so she was at eye level with me. "Billy, don't pout. Pouting is rude and naughty," She scolded. She stood up and opened the passenger door throwing in her purse. When she closed the door, I got a look at my face in the mirror and realized how childlike I looked. I instantly stopped because pouting was giving into being a child. When she came back to look at me, she seemed happier since I wasn't pouting.

 

She opened the door and showed me where I was sitting. It was a car seat. The car seat was black with red accents. I hoped maybe I wasn't sitting in it, but before I could even think about it, my Mom lifted me into it.

_You have got to be kidding me?_ I thought.  
   
With two clicks, she had me buckled in and ready to go. The seat was comfortable since there was soft padding all around me, but being confined still bothered me. "Are you comfortable?" She asked.  
I quickly nodded. "Good," She said before reaching over me to a red blanket that sat in the car. "And, here's a blanket, so you stay warm," She said lovingly.  
The blanket was soft and comfortable since it was made out of that fleece material.

  
She hopped into the driver's seat and turned the car on before turning back to me, "All ready to go?"  
"Mmhm," I said nodding.

  
"Good, let's go have some fun," She said, smiling.  
I hope she is right and the day will be fun, but I felt I was walking into a nightmare.


	3. The Carnival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy returns to the carnival with his Mom and digs up old memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank everyone who has shown any support on this story. Because it genuinely means the world to me. So please enjoy this chapter because I had a blast writing it. Enjoy!

As we began driving, I looked out the window and thought about everything that was going on.

 

I knew we were going to a carnival, and I hoped this wasn't the same one I fought Sivana at, but I had a strong feeling it was. I have so many memories at the carnival, my first supervillain fight, giving that little girl the Tiger and my Mom abandoning me. My memory of her leaving me holds the most weight and hurts every time I think about it. But after the events of this morning, she seems different almost as if the good memories I had of her were plucked out of my mind and put into reality changing who she is as a person.

 

When we made it to the carnival, I saw they went all out on the Christmas decorations. The signs held bright colored Christmas lights that added a festive mood to the air. There was snowman guarding the entrance, and some of the staff looked like elves. I hadn't thought about it until now, but we are a week away from Christmas if today is December 15th. I think it is since yesterday was the 14th. Who knows, though?

 

My Mom parked the car before turning it off and getting out; she then came around to help me out. When she opened my door, a gust of wind blasted my face. I instantly felt a lot colder then I had in the comfy car seat and fleece blanket. My face tensed up, and my eyes got misty from the wind. My Mom must have noticed my reaction because she looked worried, "Billy, what's wrong?"  
"Nothing, just cold," I said, wiping my eyes with my jacket sleeve.

  
She smiled before moving her hands to my jacket, "Well if you zip your jacket up all the way that might help." She said sarcastically as she zipped up my coat, "Better?"  
I nodded as I felt my body get slightly warmer, but my face was still freezing. She then took off her scarf and wrapped it around my neck, which helped with my face. "Don't you need it?" I protested worried she might get cold.

 

"Nah, I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you." She explained, lifting me out of the car. 

 

"Thanks," I said happily since my face was warming up.

 

She opened her door again and grabbed her purse, throwing it over her shoulder before turning back to me. "Ready to go?"  
"MmHm," I said nodding.  
"Good, just make sure you hold my hand while we walk there's going to be a lot of people in there, and I don't want to lose you," she explained. I wanted to believe she was sincere, and part of me did, but another part of me remembered what she did last time we went to a carnival together.

  
 We began walking away from the car when my Mom grabbed my hand. When she did this, I remembered back to the day I let go I thought back to that day and remembered everything that happened in the following weeks — losing my Mom and the rest of her Family wanting nothing to do with me and then ending up in my first foster home.  I wouldn't make the same mistake twice, so I gripped her hand harder and scooted closer. She noticed this but didn't say anything; instead, she smiled.

  
We headed for a green ticket booth that was decorated in Christmas lights and showed a list of prices for admission into the carnival based on age. I noticed that with being four, I was free where if I were still fourteen, I would have been considered an adult for pricing. _"That's one positive,"_ I thought.

 

 

When we got to the ticket booth, an older woman greeted us. "How many?"

"Two," My Mom answered, pulling her wallet out. The woman dug into a draw inside her booth, pulling out two pink tickets with smiley faces on them. She traded the tickets for my Mom's money before she turned her attention to me.

 

"And how old is this cute little guy?" She asked with a bright smile. I blushed at her comment before hiding behind my Mom's leg.

"Sorry, he's a little shy," My Mom apologized.

  
"It's okay all the kids are," The woman replied.

  
Next, my Mom pulled me out from behind her, so I was face to face with the woman again. "Billy tell the nice lady how old you are."

  
"I'm...I'm four," I said stumbling over my words. I realized how small and childish I sounded, which is what I hoped to avoid by hiding from the lady.

  
"Wow, you're turning into quite the big boy, aren't you?" She said. I blushed at her comment and thought if she only knew.

 

The woman continued smiling before reaching back into her drawer and pulling out a big tootsie pop. It was the cherry flavor which happened to be my favorite. I learned this when Freddie gave me some leftover Halloween candy. I was worried the candy might be bad since it was two months old, but it still tasted good.

 

"Well, Billy since your such a big boy why don't I give you a lollypop," She said, putting the lollypop thru the window.

 

"Thank you," I said blushing as I took the lollypop.

 

"Your welcome," The woman said. "Now you and your Mom better get going you have lots of fun ahead of you."  
I blushed at her comment before my Mom thanked her.

 

I hate it when I'm right, but this carnival is the same one I fought Sivana and where I lost my Mom. The memory of when I let go and sat on the patrol car waiting for her to come back flooded my mind. It was so vivid and bright; I felt as if I was reliving the memory.

 

_"Billy Batson," The officer yelled into his radio. He turned to me, wrapping me in a blanket, "Don't worry kid, they always come back."_

 

I was so deep in thought I didn't even realize my Mom was trying to talk to me. "So what do you want to do first?"

 

I shook out of my daze and looked up at her, "What?"

 

She laughed, "I asked what do you want to do first?"

 

"Umm..." I mumbled as I scanned for something fun to do. I saw many booths with games and activities to do. There were some rides too, but they were mostly little kiddie rides, and I don't think I would enjoy those.  I must have taken to long to decide, so my Mom had a suggestion.

  
"Why don't we play some of the games first?" She asked, pointing over to some of the booths.

 

"Uh... sure," I said.

 

We headed over to a group of booths that had classic carnival games. One booth was the water shooter game where you try to get to the top before everyone else, another game was throwing balls into a stack of bottles hoping to knock them over, but the one my Mom kept dragging me towards didn't look like much fun.

This booth was were you pooped ballons using darts, and of course, they haven't changed their prizes because the most significant award was still a giant tiger. "Why don't we play this one it looks like fun?" My Mom asked gleefully.

  
I froze in my tracks as I saw the darts, the balloons, the Tigers, and those stupid black compass's. I wanted to scream this felt like a sick joke.

  
"Yeah... sure," I thought. I gave her a slight fake smile and followed her to the booth. I didn't want to play, but she looked so happy for some reason, and I didn't want to ruin it.

 

An older man with a Hitler styled mustache operated the booth. When we got closer, he gave us a kind smile and seemed very welcoming. "Hello, do you want to play Maam?"

 

"Yes, can we both play?" Mom asked. She picked me up and set me on the counter.

 

"I'm sorry, but you have to be ten-years-old to play," He apologized. My Mom seemed disappointed as was I. I mean being this small had a lot of downsides and adults being worried you would hurt yourself with everything was annoying.

  
"Aww that's too bad, but I'm sure Billy still wants the Tiger so I'll play," Mom said giving me a frown. Truthfully I wanted the Tiger I always thought it looked cool even when I fought Sivana here. I hope my Mom is more of a pro now than when we were here the first time ten years ago.

 

"Going for the Tiger are you. Well, I'll let you know you have to hit three ballons in a row to win the Tiger and no one has ever done that in the fairs 20-year history," The man proclaimed oozing confidence.

 

I knew my Mom wasn't perfect back then, but something felt different. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with this weird morning with her acting like I always dreamed about, but I couldn't stop myself from cheering her on. "You can do it, Mom. I know you can." I cheered.

  
She was surprised at my outburst and turned to me, "Aww thanks Billy, that was cute."

I didn't like being called cute, but her touch of affection was comforting and caused me to blush.

 

She paid the man before he gave her three darts. The darts had different colored handles with one being blue, one red and one yellow. She picked up the blue one and took aim.

 

POP!

  
She hit a green balloon in the middle of the board. I clapped excitedly happy to see she popped one. She smiled at me before picking up the yellow dart.  
"There's one two more to go," The man said.

 

POP!

  
She hit a pink balloon right next to the green balloon. The man looked like he was starting to sweat, and I was overwhelmed with excitement because we were one ballon away from getting that Tiger.

"Let's go, Mom! Let's go, Mom! One more!" I cheered. 

 

"You'll never get the last one," The man said not sounding so confident. I snickered at this happy to see that bravado from earlier disappear.

 

Mom picked up the final dart the red one. I had to tap my feet against the counter to contain how excited I was. After all these years I was getting that Tiger. She lined up the shot and fired. 

 

I felt as if the dart was moving in slow motion as it glided through the air. I closed my eyes and held my breath as it came down, scared of where it would land. 

 

POP!

 

The third white balloon popped, creating a row of pooped ballons showing my Mom was a pro at this. "Yes!" She and I screamed together. The man yelled, "No!" and looked like he wanted to pull his hair out.

Mom scooped me up into a hug allowing me to feel the warmth that you only felt from a mothers touch. Somehow she had this new power that she didn't have before.  
"Thank you! Thank you!" I yelled as she put me down.

 

"Your welcome, I knew this would make you happy," She said, kissing me on my brow.

 

The man reluctantly pulled down a tiger and handed it to my Mom, who then gave it to me. The Tiger was a sherbert orange with the black stripes reminding me of Eugene's thick glasses. The plush smelled so good and new and felt almost as soft as the fleece blanket from the car if not softer.

 

I'm not sure why I'm so happy about getting a little plush Tiger. Maybe it's because of what happened last time I was here or because my Mom tried so hard to get it for me. Nonetheless, I couldn't be happier.

 

Mom thanked the man who grudgingly waved us goodbye upset that we took his Tiger. I laughed at this.

 

After the booth, we decided to go on a few rides they had set up. Most of them were kiddie rides, so I went on by myself, and I thought I would hate them, but instead, I had fun.  
They had a ride where you rode a little plane that went about a foot off the ground, and then you had little cars you could drive on a small track I enjoyed that one too. I knew that I was truthfully fourteen, and I shouldn't enjoy this, but for some reason I did.

 

 After I got off one of the rides, Mom pulled me aside so we could sit on a bench.

"So are you having fun?" She asked.

"Yes, tons," I replied beaming.

"See I told you we would have fun and that there was nothing to worry about," She explained. I knew she was right, but after everything, I've gone thru I had my doubts.

 

I still gripped my Tiger and made sure to hold him tight afraid I might lose him. After waiting for him so long I wasn't going to lose him.

 

We were sitting there taking a break when I heard my stomach grumble, and it must have been loud because she heard it too. 

"Someone must be hungry?" She commented. I blushed at her comment as I put my hands over my stomach, hoping to muffle the noise. It didn't work.

  
She laughed at this before getting up, "Well, mister, I think we need to get you some food before you cause an earthquake."  
I felt embarrassed at her comment, especially when she called me mister, but I quickly nodded and took her hand.

 

We stopped at a small Hot Dog stand and ordered some food, so I got a Hot Dog while she got a Pretzel. While we sat and ate, I thought about today's events.

I woke up this morning as a little kid again in my Mom's apartment, and my Mom didn't seem concerned that I was there as if I always been there. This bothered me because it just didn't seem right. And what if this was some sick trick being played on me or a twisted nightmare that I wouldn't wake up from.

 

When I finished my food I went to go throw the trash away, as I got up I left the Tiger on the table knowing I would be back in a minute and my Mom was right there she would watch it. But when I came back my Tiger wasn't on the table, but instead in the arms of a stranger.

 

This stranger held my Tiger as he talked to my Mom, and she was smiling. I sprinted over, making sure everything was okay and that my Tiger was safe. As I got closer, I got a look at the stranger. He was a man. He had a well-trimmed goatee and a sharp haircut that made him look rich like that Bruce Wayne that I saw on tv that one time. He was dressed in slacks and an expensive winter coat.  
Mom was talking and smiling at him when she noticed me. "Oh, there are you are."  
I ran over to my Mom, letting her scoop me up and put me in her lap.  
The man looked at me and saw glare I gave him. He had my Tiger, and I didn't like it plus something seemed off about this guy. "Hi, little guy," He said softly kneeling to my eye level, "I think this is yours."

  
He put the Tiger out for me, so I grabbed it and turned away from the strange man resting my head into my Mom's shoulder.  
The man seemed nice, but yet he still reminded me of some foster Dad's I've had before, but these dads weren't like Victor.

 

"Billy?" My Mom said, pulling me off her shoulder so she could see my face. "What do you say to the nice man for saving your Tiger?"

I didn't want to thank this guy, but the look my Mom meant business, so I gave in. "Thank you," I said quietly.

  
"Your welcome buddy," He said with a smirk.

  
He then turned back to Mom, "Well, I have to get going, but can I call you?

  
My Mom hesitated at first thinking over the question, "Sure, that would be fine."

  
The man smiled before walking away, I watched him as long as I could, but with me being so short that wasn't for very long.  
"Who was that?" I abruptly asked.

  
"A nice man who found your Tiger when it fell off the table," She explained.

  
"Oh," I said quietly. "But why is he going to call you?"

  
My Mom sighed, "Because he wants to be friends." 

 

I knew what my Mom actually meant, but she obviously didn't want to tell me, so I dropped it.

 

"Time to get up I have to throw my trash away, and then we need to head home," Mom instructed as she started to get up. I scooted off her lap and sat back down by myself.  
"Wait right here, Billy. I'll be right back," She ordered before she began to walk away.

 

"Mom?" 

 

She turned back to me showing slight irritation, "Yes Billy?"

 

"I..I love you."

 

I couldn't believe those words had come out of my mouth, but after this whole day, I couldn't hold them anymore.  
She instantly smiled and came back over. "I know you love me and I love you too," She said before kissing me on the top of my head. I watched her walk off, feeling like my dream was finally coming true.

 

As I waited, I saw some other mothers laughing with there kids as I saw them I remembered being envious of them for so long, but now I had what they had — a Mom.

 

I waited for a long time, and it got to a point where I was starting to get worried. It should have taken her a minute maybe two tops to throw the trash out. What if something happened to her? What if she left me again?

_"No!"_ I thought. She wouldn't do that this time's different. _She's different._

 

I needed answers, so while still holding my Tiger, I ran as quickly as I could to the closest trash can. When I got there, I saw the back of my Mom with her red jacket and a white knit hat. I tapped her leg, happy that I found her. Only I didn't.

  
She turned around and looked at me, but it wasn't my Mom; it was a different Woman who looked confused and worried.  
"Are you lost, buddy? Where's your Mom?"

 

My words were stuck in my throat as I felt the panic come to life. " _Not again! Not again,"_ I thought. 

 

This is what happened the first time this is how I lost her. How could this happen again? I knew tears were coming, and this time, I didn't feel like stopping them, so I let them escape. The woman tried to comfort me, but it was no use I was too distracted.

She grabbed my hand and led me to the security booth, making me feel as if I was reliving my number one nightmare.

Soon the officers were voicing over the intercom asking for the Mother of Billy Batson. There were two officers while the one yelled over the intercom the other came over to me and attempted to comfort me. 

 

He threw a blanket over my shoulders and pulled a chair up next to me. "Don't worry son they always come back, will find her."

  
I took my jacket sleeve and started to wipe the tears away as they began to dry up. "No, they don't," I said bluntly. The officer seemed confused and left his mouth open, unsure of what to say. 

 

After this whole day, I was starting to think that maybe things would be different and that I would get my second chance with my Mom, but it turns out I was wrong. Again.

Maybe if I left now I could find Freddie and go back to my Family and grow up with them, but do they even know me, would they recognize or also remember me.

 

I was about to throw the blanket off and run when I saw a shade of red and white running at me. "MOM!"

 

I leaped off the chair, threw the blanket aside, and ran into her bear hug. "Oh my god, Billy, I thought I lost you!" She said emotionally.

"I thought I lost you," I replied, almost crying again. She pulled me away so she could see my face. She pushed the bangs sticking out of my hat to the side, "You didn't, and you never will, and you know why?"

 

"Why?" I asked, tearing up.

 

"Because I love you."

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please comment if you want any comment is appreciated. 
> 
> Side note: I'm going to try and upload at least once a week. I do not promise anything, but for now, that's my goal


	4. The Playdate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy learns a horrible truth and spends the day with Wally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, everyone for the support on the last chapter I hope you enjoy this one! Please leave any feedback all is appreciated.

"Go ahead, Billy take a nap, I'll be here when you wake up," My Mom explained soothingly. We were on the road headed home after the carnival. I was tired, but I didn't want to take a nap, especially in a car seat like a baby. 

"No..." I said yawning. "I'm not tired." 

She smiled at me, "It's okay you had a long day, and you didn't have your nap today anyway. Go ahead."

 I realized she was going to keep on bugging me until I fell asleep so with the power of the comfy car seat, the soft blanket, and the heat from the car I gave in and fell asleep. While I slept, I had a vivid dream.

 Shazam, the Wizard, was talking with another version of himself except the other version look drastically different. The other Shazam wore a white cloak, had a long white beard and short hair that barely covered his scalp. They were talking in hushed voices so I couldn't hear them, so I decided to get closer. 

"Brother, are you sure about this?" The other Shazam asked. 

"Yes, Billy Batson is the purest heart I've ever seen in a thousand years," Shazam said. 

"But he's just a child," The other Shazam said. "Yes, but he is our true champion, and he will revive the counsel and ensure many years of prosperity," Shazam argued. 

"And what if he isn't? What if he's like the last champion?" The other Shazam questioned.

 "Silence!" Shazam roared. "Billy Batson is pure and is the right call for our champion, and he will earn his reward when his quest is completed." 

The other Shazam looked troubled, just like Freddie did when he has a rough day with his leg. "Very well, I will grant him his reward when the time is right." 

"That is all I ask." 

The dream evaporated, waking me up. 

I was back in the room I woke up in which I assumed was my room. I was back in the twin sized bed and wearing soft childish pajamas. They were identical to yesterday's except covered in fire trucks. I mentally groaned I needed to talk to Mom about getting new pajamas. 

Speaking of her, I knew I could trust her completely after everything she did for me. She was finally acting like a true Mom, and I couldn't be happier. But after that dream, I wondered if somehow me getting powers and becoming four again were related. I would talk to the Wizard, but he's ... you know dead. But who's that other guy? I know he's the Wizard's brother, but that's about it. And this reward they were giving me after defeating the sins. When was I getting it? I need to talk to this brother and get some answers.

 My thoughts were interrupted when I heard screaming. I jumped out of bed and ran to my window. Through my window, you could see the back of the apartment building, which gave me a view of a mugging. A mugger was trying to steal a woman's purse, and the woman was losing. I knew what I had to do; I needed to turn into my alter ego. But I didn't want to blow a hole into the ceiling, so I had to get outside first. Luckily at my window, there was a fire escape, so if I could just get the window open, I could turn into Captain Sparklefingers. 

I tried to open the window, but I couldn't. I thought maybe I wasn't strong enough, but then I saw that the window was locked. Two days ago I would have opened it no problem, but with my new height reaching it would be difficult. "If only I had something to stand on," I thought as I looked around my room. I didn't see much until I saw a small chest. 

I ran over to the chest and opened it. Inside were some toys. I saw some action figures, plushies and small matchbox cars. I tried pulling the chest, but with all the toys it was too heavy, but if I took the toys out I assumed I could move it no problem. I quickly put my plan into action, throwing the toys out of the chest and onto the floor, not caring that I was making a mess. Once empty, I began pulling the chest towards the window. It took a bit of effort, but I eventually made it over to the window. I moved the chest in front of the window then jumped on. The chest gave me plenty of height to reach the lock on the window. Once the window was unlocked, I jumped down and moved the chest off to the side. I pushed up on the window and was relieved that the window opened. I wasn't able to push it that high, but I created enough of a gap that my small frame could slip through. 

Once through the window, I stood on the fire escape and took a deep breath, ready to say the magic word. 

"SHAZAM!" I yelled, expecting to become my alter ego. But I didn't.

 I was confused. Why was I still normal and not a freaking superhero?

 I tried saying the magic word again, but once again, nothing happened. 

"BILLY! OH MY GOD!" 

I turned to the window and saw my Mom running over to me, scared out of her mind. She pushed the window up the rest of the way and pulled me back in. She quickly shut the window and relocked it before turning to me. 

She kneeled to my eye-level before speaking, "What were you thinking? You could have died?" She sounded mad and upset which suddenly made me feel bad, but how was I supposed to explain myself I couldn't tell her that I was the superhero of Philadelphia plus she probably wouldn't believe it anyway thinking that I had a very explorative imagination.

 "Um..um..um," I mumbled as I tried to think of a decent excuse.

 She sighed then picked me up and sat on my bed with me on her lap, "Billy, I need you to listen, You're not supposed to go out the window it's dangerous. You could have gotten hurt, and I'm not sure what I would do if you got hurt," She began getting misty as she finished scolding me. This made me feel even worse. 

I gave her a slow nod, "Sorry." 

"It's okay just don't do it again," She said softly hugging me. I sat there for a few seconds enjoying the warmth that came with a hug from her. 

***Shazam*** 

Later on, I ate breakfast, and Mom reminded me of what I was doing today. "So I just heard from Wallys Mom, he'll be over around eleven," She explained walking into the kitchen. I completely forgot about Wally and having to have a "Playdate" with him. But after everything from yesterday, I decided to give this a chance. Being with my Mom yesterday was perfect except for when we got separated, but she came back, which is the polar opposite of what she did the first time. So I'm going to try being her son again since it seems she knows how to be a Mom now. I do wish I could be fourteen still and live with her because that would be so much better than being a little kid. But as usual, I never get what I want.

 I gave her a small smile to the news of Wally coming over. I think I'll like Wally since he's so much like Freddie and Freddie was always such a joy to have around. I hope that I see Freddie soon he's probably going out of his mind with worry.

 I quickly finished my cereal and headed back to my room to get dressed for the day. Mom had already laid clothes out for me, and again, her choice of an outfit felt weird. 

She picked a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a blue/yellow plaided shirt.

 I slipped out of the sleeper and pulled on the jeans, threw on the t-shirt and put on the plaided shirt, making sure to leave the top two buttons undone. I noticed she forgot socks, so I made sure to grab those too, "One thing she forgot." I thought. 

When I headed back out to the living room/ kitchen, my Mom was about finished washing the dishes from breakfast. She turned around as she dried her hands off and noticed me standing awkwardly. "Hey, Billy you okay?" 

"Uh yeah." 

"Okay," She said, pulling out her phone and checking the time, "You still have some time before Wally gets here if you want to watch Tv or something." 

I nodded before heading over to the living room to find the Tv. I didn't have to look far. The living room was small, but I shouldn't be surprised we're in an apartment after all. 

There was one green couch, a potted plant, a small bookcase with about two books and a decent sized tv sitting on a black tv stand. 

I picked up the tv remote on the couch and turned on the tv. I scrolled through channels until I found one playing the new IT movie. Freddie showed it to me last weekend, and I loved the It no pun intended. I mentioned to Freddie that he looks a lot like the Eddie kid and he said he hears that a lot. 

The opening credits had just ended when my Mom came in. She was cleaning the apartment and had moved on to the living room. She gave me a warm smile before she turned back to her cleaning. 

 Georgie had just lost his boat to Pennywise, and they were talking. I remember when Freddie and I watched this how creepy I thought Pennywise looked and how cool that was. 

The part where Georgie gets killed was about to come up when my Mom turned away from her chores and turned her attention to me. "So what are you watching?" I was going to answer, but before I could, she saw what was projecting on the TV.

 Pennywise had just bitten Georgie's arm off.

 I looked at my Mom, and she wasn't happy. She scowled and ran up to me, grabbing the remote and shut off the TV. 

"Mommm! I was watching that!" I whined.

 "Yes, and you shouldn't be any way that's a scary movie and your too little for scary movies they'll give you nightmare's."

 "No, they won't. Plus you said I was a big boy yesterday," I said hoping my reverse psychology would work. 

She looked taken aback by my response, "Yes, you are, but you're not big enough to watch that!" She instructed, pointing at the TV.

 "But, Mommmm," I whined. I know I sound childish, but I loved that Movie, and it reminds me of Freddie, so I really wanted to watch it. 

She put her hands on her hip and gave me a disapproving look, "Billy Joseph Batson not another word about this. You're not watching it, and that's final." 

I didn't understand why I couldn't watch the Movie, and besides, I've already seen it, it's not that scary. The way adults treated me around dangerous/ scary things was starting to get on my nerves. My Mom continued, " If you want to watch something else you can or you can go do something else." 

"I'll watch something else," I muttered crossing my arms. 

"You have to speak up Billy I can't hear you," She said, stepping closer.

 "I'll watch something else," I said louder and with a hint of attitude.

 I'm not sure if she noticed my reaction because she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned the Tv back on and surfed the channels until she found something she liked. The channel she chose was some cartoon I didn't recognize. Growing up in foster care, I didn't watch much Tv or Movies. 

One reason for that was living on the streets so much didn't give me much quality time with any TV's. The second was most families had their kids, and they only watched what they wanted to watch, so I often didn't even bother paying attention. 

The show was about three best friends who for some reason all had the same name. The show interested me despite clearly being made for children under the age of ten. I was so engrossed in the show I didn't even hear my Mom trying to get my attention. 

"Billy...Billy!" I turned and saw my Mom was at the door while it was open. Wally was with her. 

She was waving me over, so I got up and headed to the door. "Hi Billy," Wally said, giving me a small wave.

 "Heyyyy," I said awkwardly. Wally smiled back before stepping into the apartment. 

My Mom closed the door before speaking to me, "Billy, why don't you and Wally go play in your room, you can show him all your cool toys." 

_What cool toys._

When we got to my room, I noticed the toy chest was back, and my bed had been made.

 We headed over to the toy chest and looked inside to see what toys my Mom mentioned. 

There weren't many which embarrassed me for some odd reason, maybe because Wally and I needed to be friends and toys would impress him. I don't know. 

"Wow, you got the new Technomancer, I've been begging my Mom to get me one," Wally explained as he dug into the chest and pulled out a robot looking figure. 

"Yeah, I got...that," I said, awkwardly rubbing my neck. The figure was metallic silver with blue outlining other parts of his armor, it looked cool, and I could see why a kid would get excited over it. 

Wally admired the figure for a bit longer before softly laying the figure on the bed. He then turned his attention back to the chest and began digging through it, pulling out different toys. He pulled out a spaceship, a stuffed lion, and different colored blocks. After he pulled all of that out, he went to go pull out another plushie. 

"Wait, no!" Wally had gone for my tiger. 

"What's wrong?" Wally asked, confused. 

"Nothing, I just wanted to grab him," I said awkwardly as I grabbed my tiger and put him against my chest. 

"Oh, okay," Wally said warily. 

I knew being attached to the tiger, my Mom won me yesterday was childish, but despite it being silly, it made me feel good, and I wanted to have it anywhere I go. 

Soon we were playing with all the toys or Wally was, and I was following his lead. While we played, I heard a bird chirp out the window, drawing my attention to it. When I looked over, I saw the birds picking at its wing, and while watching the bird, I remembered what happened this morning. I've never had a problem transforming into a superhero, but why did I this morning? I needed to try again, not now, of course, but sometime soon.

 I was shaken out of my daze when I heard my door open. My Mom was standing there warmly smiling at me. "Are you boys having fun?" 

Wally stopped what he was doing, and adamantly nodded. 

My Mom then turned to me and raised her eyebrows as if she was silently asking the question. "Yeah, tons." 

"Good, I'm going to start making lunch, so what do you want?" Mom asked, pulling out her phone. "I have peanut butter and jelly, tuna fish, I could make grilled cheese." 

"Grilled cheese please!" Wally blurted out. She began typing into her phone before directing her attention to me. "What about you, Billy? 

"Grilled cheese I guess," I quickly said. 

"Okay two grilled cheese," She said before putting her phone back in her pocket. "Coming right up!" I looked back out the window and noticed the bird was gone as was whatever thought I was thinking about I couldn't remember. "Hey, Billy, you playing or what?" Wally asked me. 

I turned to him and smiled, "Yeah."

 ***Shazam!*** 

The grilled cheese tasted perfect and similar to the grilled cheese that Rosa sometimes made for dinner or lunch on the weekends. When she made it the first time, it was the first weekend after the big day at the carnival. I told everyone that I wanted to stay and then we had grilled cheese, so that's why I love this sandwich so much. 

Mom was eating with us, and she had grilled cheese too. "How is it, boys?"

 "It's delicious!" Wally said excitedly.

 "It's good," I said with my mouth full.

 "Don't talk with your mouth full. You could choke," My Mom lightly scolded. 

I quickly swallowed and felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment, "Sorry."

 When we all finished, Mom took our plates and former cups of apple juice to the sink. "Okay, we have about two hours before Wally's Mom will be here, so how about we watch a movie?"

 "Sure," Wally replied while I simply nodded.

 "Okay, why don't you boys go look at the DVD's in the living room, and I'll be right over," Mom recommended. 

We quickly got up and went to look at the movies. The small collection of DVDs are kept in a drawer underneath the Tv stand. All the films were for kids with most being animated. I had nothing against kids movies because some were entertaining, but growing up, I didn't have much time for movies since I was looking for my Mom. 

Wally began pulling out a few movies, so we had a good look at the selection. I didn't recognize many, but Wally happened to acknowledge some. "Wow, you got the new Spiderman movie," He began, "Justice League too," He added, "Wait, we need to watch this." He pulled up a movie with a cover of a picture of a Sharkboy and a Lavagirl.

 "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl?" I asked, reading the cover. 

"Yeah, It's really cool!" Wally said with his eyes lighting up with excitement. "This kid goes to a new planet with two superpowered kids one can control sharks while the other can control Lava, but in the end, it turns out to be a dream." 

It sounded like a fun movie and seemed better than playing with toys. "Okay, sure sounds like fun."

 "Cool, you'll love it," Wally assured me.

 Just then, My Mom walked in, "Did you guys find a movie?" 

Wally handed her the case, "This one." 

She read over the case front to back, "Sounds good I'll pop it in. Why don't you boys get some blankets and pillows and get comfy on the couch." 

So that's what we did, Wally grabbed the blanket off my bed while I grabbed a set of pillows, we threw them on the couch and set them in a way we would be comfortable. While we did this, my Mom put the DVD into the DVD player allowing the Movie to play through previews and get to the main menu. Once Wally and I were settled in my Mom grabbed the remote and sat next to me. She pulled the blanket, making sure we were both covered and wrapped both her arms around me, creating a feeling of bliss. "Ready boys?" She asked, holding the remote. 

"Yes, I'm ready," Wally quickly replied, unable to contain his excitement. 

My Mom looked down at me, smiling, "Ready?"

 "MmHm," I mumbled too comfortable to say anything else. She placed a kiss on my head then started the Movie. 

As we watched, I began to get sleepy. I didn't feel tired when I sat down, but with the warmth from the blanket and my Mom wrapping her arms around me, I fell asleep. 

When I woke the Tv was off, and Wally was gone, I guess his Mom came to pick him up. I noticed my Mom was gone too. I wonder where she went? 

I quickly got up and began searching for her. She wasn't in the kitchen, the living room, or my room. The last place I could look was her bedroom, I haven't been in there yet, but I figured it was the only room that had a closed door. I was going to knock, but right before my hand collided with the door, I heard my Mom's voice. _She was talking with someone._

 "Yeah, Friday will work. What time will you be picking me up?"

"Seven? Yeah, seven works I'll see you then. Bye."

Wtf? Who was she talking to? Oh no she's opening the door!

I tried to move, but I wasn't quick enough, and she almost tripped over me as she opened the door. "Woah, Billy, what are you doing?"

"Uh...Looking for you," I said as if it was obvious.

 "Okay...How was your nap? You missed the Movie," She explained as she picked me up and headed back to the living room.

 "Fine...Who were you talking to?" I asked quickly.

 I had a feeling I knew who it was, and I hoped I was wrong.

 "Just a friend," She answered hesitantly.

 "What, friend?"

 "The one who saved your tiger," She told me softly. "Billy, he's nice, and you'll like him trust me." 

"No, I won't."

 "Yes you will, Trust me," She explained, running her hand through my hair.

 I did trust her. I didn't trust this guy something seemed off about him, and I wanted him nowhere near my Mom or me. 

"Mom, I trust you, but not your friend," I explained pleading with her. 

She gave in a deep sigh, "How about this. I'll hang out with him on Friday while you play with Wally. You guys seemed to have a lot of fun today." I did have fun, but I would still worry about my Mom being all alone with this guy. 

I thought it over and was going to say no before my Mom spoke again, "How about I sweeten the deal and let you get some ice cream too." 

"What flavor?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Any flavor," My Mom said grinning. 

"Fine, just please be careful? For me?" I pleaded, trying my best puppy dog face. 

"I promise besides I can't say no to your cute face," My Mom said sincerely before launching a tickle attack.


End file.
